Mother
                                by Roger Waters
 
Lyrics and an analysis of the song
 
Mother do you think they'll drop the bomb?
 Mother do you think they'll like this song?
 Mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?
 Mother should I build the wall?
 Mother should I run for president?
 Mother should I trust the government?
 Mother will they put me in the firing line?
 Ooooo Is it just a waste of time?
 (Ooooo Mother am I really dying?)
(ooooo Mother what crazy time)
 
 Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry.
 Mama's gonna make all your nightmares come true.
Mama' s gonna put all her fears into you.
 Mama's gonna keep you right here under her wing.
 She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing.
 Mama will keep baby cozy and warm.
 Ooooh baby ooooh baby oooooh baby,
 Of course mama's gonna help build the wall.
 Mother do you think she's good enough -- for me?
 Mother do you think she's dangerous -- to me?
 Mother will she tear your little boy apart?
 Mother will she break my heart?
 
 Hush now baby, baby don't you cry.
 Mama's gonna check out all your girlfriends for you.
 Mama won't let anyone dirty get through.
 Mama's gonna wait up until you get in.
 Mama will always find out where you've been.
 Mama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean.
 Ooooh baby oooh baby oooh baby,
 You'll always be baby to me.

 Mother, did it need to be so high?

What we have here are the lyrics of a song by Pink Floyd, a British band of the 70's.They were written by Roger Waters in 1979 for the album The Wall , which was also made into a very succesful and controversial film of the same name three years later. One can say it is autobiographic as it is loosely based on the lives of two of Pink Floyd's members . It combines elements of both lives into the fictional character of Pink.  Pink's childhood is very similar to that of Roger Waters, the main writer of the Wall. Waters, who lost his father in World War II, drew on his many emotions of abandonment and loneliness for this album. Pink's adult life, on the other hand, is based on that of the original lead singer Syd Barret. After suffering a mental breakdown due to drugs, Barret was replaced soon after by David Gilmour.
 
Waters mentions in one of his many interviews that The Wall is a story of a generation, the generation of war-babies but one can also see it as the story of anybody who gets left by someone. It is a story of  loneliness,separation and of isolation from the world . The wall represents the breach in communication, the various obstacles that pile up in our lives and make us retreat into our universe.
 
The song  above sounds like a conversation between Pink and his mother.Actually, during the film, we see it happen in Pink's imagination. He's on a tour in the States, feels lonely and tries to contact his wife on the phone without result. The song is a flashback to his childhood and young adulthood interspersed with flashes of his present situation.

In the first stanza, Pink asks his mother for opinion, her advice over important matters: "Mother, do you think….; Mother, should I ?".
The fact that he calls her "mother" and not "mum" makes us think that he must respect her and consider her as a mentor, orienter. We have the impression he is still a little boy. We notice that most of his fears and doubts  are over the war ( "drop the bomb", "firing lines" ), rooted probably in his father's death. He then wonders if  "they", (meaning society,  his peers, the world) will like  what he has to say ("like my song") or try to break  him down (break my balls). I assume that the building of a wall he refers to is a protection which he can use to isolate himself from adversity, things that hurt him. When he mentions "running for a president" I would tend to think this expresses his dreams and hopes for the future just like  young kids who want to become firemen or policemen when they grow old. He then wonders whether he should trust the  government and if "they" will take him down .
 
       
At the end of this stanza, three different lyrics were sung. In the album version, Pink asks "Is it just a waste of time?" with "it" probably referring to life. In the movie Pink sings "Am I really dying?" and we are shown that as a child, Pink became seriously ill, almost to the point of dying.  The third lyric is from one  of the group's live concerts in which  Pink sings "What a crazy time" referring to the  events going on, World War   II, and his life in general.

          In the second stanza we have the mother answering like a mother usually does when her child is in trouble: she comforts him: hush (be quiet)….don't cry (don't worry).  Mama is referred to in the 3rd person (she) The fact that the word "Mama" is used gives us a feeling of tenderness and affection. When we read the second verse, we expect her to say that she is going to solve his problems, fix everything. However, we are startled to find out that she wants his nightmares to come true and that she will put all her fears into him. It is as if by making him fragile and insecure she will force him to stay with her. She can then control him, have him "under her wing". I would say she is overprotects her child, but  then , to a certain extent, she has a good reason to be like this. She  lost her husband in war, Pink was once very ill so she doesn't want to lose her baby. To cover up her own fragility and weaknesses, she  becomes overconcerned and maternal, making him dependent on her, dominating him, making him unable to choose, determine his destiny: "she won't let you fly but she might let you sing". Notice the use of "might"…it's as if she were blackmailing him into being obedient: only if you are nice will I give you a candy. And finally here, we get the answer to the question Pink asked his mother earlier...The answer is "Of course Mama's gonna help build a wall." She helps build the wall by encouraging him to seek shelter in her arms,by keeping him cosy and warm, trying to keep him far away  from  the harsh reality. Also, she helps build it unknowingly because she is one of the  bricks in Pink's life.
 
        In his second stanza, Pink seems to be older than in the first one. Here, he is either dating or possibly married. His questions concern the  girl he is with; he asks his mother whether his girlfriend(wife?) is good enough for him, whether she is dangerous to him, whether she will dominate him, or will she break his  heart. In the film we see a scene where his wife betrays him while he is away on the tour.

        In her second verse, Mother answers Pink's concerns towards the girl. Once again, we see how  watchful and wary (psychotic) she is.  By checking his girlfriends, following him wherever he goes ("Mama will  always find out where you've been") she is helping him to build the wall. Her next line shows that no matter what, Pink will always be baby blue to her; in her eyes he will always remain a child, needing the attention , care and protection. When she says "healthy and clean" we are reminded of  food and  nappies that a small child needs. "You'll always be baby to me."
 
        Pink's last line  "Mother did it  need to be so high?"may refer to the wall, which was almost finished when he left home. So he may be saying:'Mother, I know I needed a wall, but did it have to be so high that I can't go  out if I need to?"